The most common human-powered vehicle is the bicycle. Use of the bicycle for exercise, recreation, and transportation is well-known. Operators of conventional bicycles are in a seated position and pedal in an essentially circular motion to perform the mechanical work necessary to propel the vehicle. During operation, the operator's upper body is typically bent forward at the waist and held in place by the muscles of the arms, shoulders, abdomen, and lower back. This most common riding position is relatively stressful. Bicycle riders often experience pain, discomfort, and/or numbness in the pelvic region from sitting on the bicycle seat or “saddle”, and discomfort in the lower back, arms, and shoulders from the bent-over riding position.
To alleviate the discomfort associated with prolonged use of conventional bicycles, recumbent bicycles in which the operator propels the bicycle from a reclined position are known. Although recumbent bicycles alleviate much of the discomfort associated with conventional bicycles, the reclined riding position makes these vehicles less stable and more difficult to ride. The recumbent bicycle is also limited as a commuter vehicle because the low-to-the-ground configuration allows obstacles to easily obstruct the operator's line of sight and makes him or her less visible to other vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. In addition, because operators of conventional and recumbent bicycles are seated, they do not receive the musculoskeletal benefits of weight-bearing exercise when operating these vehicles.
Therefore, there remains a need to overcome one or more of the limitations in the above-described, existing art.
It will be recognized that some or all of the Figures are schematic representations for purposes of illustration and do not necessarily depict the actual relative sizes or locations of the elements shown. The Figures are provided for the purpose of illustrating one or more embodiments of the bicycle with the explicit understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.